My Fluff Butt Wash Routine
I often get crazy looks when people realize I use cloth diapers for Miss Thailee Mae. When Jontai was a babe, we used disposables. A lot can happen in 7 years. For me, when you learn about all the chemicals in diapers and find out that it takes 500 years for one disposable diaper to discinigrate in a land fill, you kind of have a WTF moment! Luckily, I had two friends who already used cloth, so I was able to ask them a million questions. The best part about cloth diapering is how much money you will save! I hate spending money on things that you will throw away! I would rather spend that money on something else more useful!
Okay, so about my stash... I have probably around 45 diapers; about half are pocket diapers and the other half are AIO (All-In-Ones). AIOs are my favorite. I didn't have them when I started building my stash, but I joined the Midwest Mama Co-Op group on Facebook (UPDATE: the co-op I used no longer exists), and they had a great deal on these diapers. I paid something like $6.50-$10.00 for each diaper. The prints are A-freakin-dorable! I bought them around tax season so I didn't feel guilty about spending the extra money on them.... It was so worth it!
Anyways, back to my wash routine. I have found that everyone does this differently, it is all about preference.
When the poo is that seedy-yellow breast milk poo, I just separated the inserts from the pockets and threw my diapers, wet bags, cloth wipes and pail liners all in the wash. I prewash everything once. Then I add in a cup of vinegar to the fabric softener compartment. I also add in 2tbsp of my homemade laundry detergent that my cousin Tiffany made me! Thailee is 9 months and I have not used all of it yet! You can find her DIY here:
http://babykrompholz.com/diy-cloth-diaper-detergent/
I wash everything on heavy. Once the cycle is complete, I send the load through the rinse cycle again. If my diapers have sat for a while and are pretty stinky, I do all the above steps but instead of pre washing and doing an extra rinse cycle, I will wash everything on heavy three times (nothing in the first and last cycles, like above).
I live in Central Pennsylvania where we have a snowy winter and a rainy spring so hanging diapers outside can't always happen for me. I try to wash my diapers when I still have plenty of clean diapers to use so that I can line-dry on drying racks (I started out using a make shift clothes line and a shoe rack- whatever works). I must confess though, I'm mostly lazy and procrastinate until the last minute, and I don't have very many diapers left, so I have to run them through the delicate cycle in the dryer once before putting them on the drying racks.
In the summer months, I hang my diapers and place them in the sun! The sun is great about getting out any funky smells; although, since I started adding the vinegar to my wash routine, I haven't had any smell issues!
I have used this same wash routine in a stackable apartment washer and dryer and in an old school top-load, ugly yellow washer and dryer set that came with my house. I have had no issues at all! My diapers come out white and clean every single time!
I must add, now that Thailee is trying new foods every once in a while, sometimes her poo isn't so soft, if I can plop that bad boy in the toilet, I do! If it's a little messier, I will swish the diaper in the toilet and flush. I then ring it out and put it into a bucket to take it back over to the washing machine.
So yes, I'm "that kind of mom," and I just love everything about cloth diapering! I feel great that I don't ever need to run to the store for diapers or wipes! My husband also loves to cloth diaper. He's never had to wash any diapers because that is my thing, but I taught him how to do it in case I die or something horrible happens where I can't be here to wash diapers (knock on wood). So over my dead body will my husband be allowed to buy disposable diapers ;-p
I hope to share my entire stash with everyone soon: stay tuned!
Edit: Just an update on some things that I changed with my was routine. I started using All Free and Clear laundry pods when I ran out of the homemade stuff. It worked just fine.
Okay, so about my stash... I have probably around 45 diapers; about half are pocket diapers and the other half are AIO (All-In-Ones). AIOs are my favorite. I didn't have them when I started building my stash, but I joined the Midwest Mama Co-Op group on Facebook (UPDATE: the co-op I used no longer exists), and they had a great deal on these diapers. I paid something like $6.50-$10.00 for each diaper. The prints are A-freakin-dorable! I bought them around tax season so I didn't feel guilty about spending the extra money on them.... It was so worth it!
Anyways, back to my wash routine. I have found that everyone does this differently, it is all about preference.
When the poo is that seedy-yellow breast milk poo, I just separated the inserts from the pockets and threw my diapers, wet bags, cloth wipes and pail liners all in the wash. I prewash everything once. Then I add in a cup of vinegar to the fabric softener compartment. I also add in 2tbsp of my homemade laundry detergent that my cousin Tiffany made me! Thailee is 9 months and I have not used all of it yet! You can find her DIY here:
http://babykrompholz.com/diy-cloth-diaper-detergent/
I wash everything on heavy. Once the cycle is complete, I send the load through the rinse cycle again. If my diapers have sat for a while and are pretty stinky, I do all the above steps but instead of pre washing and doing an extra rinse cycle, I will wash everything on heavy three times (nothing in the first and last cycles, like above).
I live in Central Pennsylvania where we have a snowy winter and a rainy spring so hanging diapers outside can't always happen for me. I try to wash my diapers when I still have plenty of clean diapers to use so that I can line-dry on drying racks (I started out using a make shift clothes line and a shoe rack- whatever works). I must confess though, I'm mostly lazy and procrastinate until the last minute, and I don't have very many diapers left, so I have to run them through the delicate cycle in the dryer once before putting them on the drying racks.
In the summer months, I hang my diapers and place them in the sun! The sun is great about getting out any funky smells; although, since I started adding the vinegar to my wash routine, I haven't had any smell issues!
I have used this same wash routine in a stackable apartment washer and dryer and in an old school top-load, ugly yellow washer and dryer set that came with my house. I have had no issues at all! My diapers come out white and clean every single time!
I must add, now that Thailee is trying new foods every once in a while, sometimes her poo isn't so soft, if I can plop that bad boy in the toilet, I do! If it's a little messier, I will swish the diaper in the toilet and flush. I then ring it out and put it into a bucket to take it back over to the washing machine.
So yes, I'm "that kind of mom," and I just love everything about cloth diapering! I feel great that I don't ever need to run to the store for diapers or wipes! My husband also loves to cloth diaper. He's never had to wash any diapers because that is my thing, but I taught him how to do it in case I die or something horrible happens where I can't be here to wash diapers (knock on wood). So over my dead body will my husband be allowed to buy disposable diapers ;-p
I hope to share my entire stash with everyone soon: stay tuned!
Edit: Just an update on some things that I changed with my was routine. I started using All Free and Clear laundry pods when I ran out of the homemade stuff. It worked just fine.
http://amzn.to/2zo8gBr
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As my daughter got older, her poo just got nastier. I didn't have time for that shit, literally. If she had a super gross diaper, I took it outside and essentially pressure washed it with the hose, then, it went straight to the wash. This is the definition of lazy, but hey, it truly works and it saves a mess in my bathroom. Obviously, if you are going to try this crazy method, do so in an area where no one will come in contact with it. We have a wooded area that we use to compost old trees and yard clippings (different from our organic garden compost), this is where I spray the gnarly diapers at.